Apparatus for producing light hydrocarbons



J. A. YUNCK.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING LIGHT HYDROCARBONS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I5. 1916 Mtmmbed July fl 19209..

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To all whom it may concern:

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Be it known that l Joan A. Yukon, a citizen or the llnitedStates 0t America, residing at South Orange, county ot Essex,

State oil New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Producing Light lllydrocarbons, oil whlch the following is a specification.

ll/ly invention relates to processes of producing an increased yield ot the lighter hydrocarbons either from the raw product of oil wells or from the residue ol manulacturing or refining operations in which the lighter constituents have been removed from the raw oil by existing processes. 'llhus my invention may employ either ordinary fuel oil, or kerosene as the raw material on which to operate.

lln addition to the production ot an in creased quantity of thelighter hydrocarbon liquids known as 'gasolene, naphtha,

petrol or the like, suitable. for use as fuel-in standard internal combustion engines, my

invention gives added commercial value to the heavier constituents remaining by turning part or all of them into greases suitable for lubricants and other uses in the art of greater value than the ordinary residua and till till

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kerosene, now left *lrom the existing oil cracking or refining processes of commerce.

ln my invention the first oi the'above mentioned results is secured according to my present understanding by combining hydrogen with a certain portionoilthe atoms or molecules of the heavier hydrocarbons dissociated by heat under pressure and preterably in contact v'vith'solid, heated carbon entered into the desired light hydrocarbon ,combinations because it was in a dead or lib stale condition by reason oil the interval of. time elapsing between its generation and its 'mixture with the hydrocarbon. lllly invenspecificaticn o'l Letters Patent.

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Patented duly ran;

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tion avoids these ditliculties by generating the hydrogen by the electrolytic action oil an electric current on water, or on an emulsion of water and oil, ina closed vessel which is either the same vessel in which the oil cracking operation is itself carried on, or in a closed vesselclosely connected to the former, so that no possibility of combustion or explosion arises. Also, the hydrogen, being evolved in direct and immediate contact with the cracking oil vapors, is nascent and in the best possible condition for enteringdactively into the new combination desire Due torm ol annaratus toricaing out my invention, and the best form 0t apparatus at present known to me embodying my invention, is shown in the accompanying drawing which shows a vertical central section-ot the same.

ln the drawings A is a retort or pct which should be capable ot withstanding a high pressure and temperature. It may be made oil drawn steel, or oil boiler plate or possibly oil especially strong glass. This retort may be supported on a brickwork foundation-ill, or in any other convenient manner according to whether or not external heating oil the retort A, is to be employed.

hi, hi, representgas or oil burners tor such external'heating. D,'is a body oil water, or

an alkaline or other aqueous solution, which is capable of combining with the supernatent body ot oil P. lmmersed in the aqueous solution 0 are two or more electrodes D, D, oi copper, silver, nickel or other suitable material which reterably are su porteddt'rorn the cover of the retort by conducting strips at, al, to which external binding screws S, S, are connected so that a direct electric may be delivered trom'a source of electric energy B, through circuit r, connected to binding screw S, S,

to electrodes D, D, and so pass through the electrol D. lnsulating sleeves s, e, ex-

tend through the cover and around the binding screws S, S, to insulate them from the body oil oil P, is partly or wholly immersed a system of high resistance conductors U, .U, lorming a set olt' resistors. Preterablythese resistors are made at carbon tubes 0, set in copper frames f. These also are prelerably supported entirely from cover Q, by electrically conductive rods 91,9.

ltltl the cover and prevent short circuiting. in I The cover Q, is to be bolted or otherwise fastened to retort A, as by bolts F, so as to form a gas tight joint therewith,-and an insulating gasket E, is interposed so that electric currentcannot fiow from retort to cover or vice versa.

C represents another set of resistors formed of carbon tubes in circuit with conducting supports q, and located in the vapor chamber B, formed in cover Q. One or the other of these sets of resistors might be dispensed with, especially when external heating is employed. On. the other hand burners N, N, may be dispensed with'when resistors of sullicient heating capacity are employed. A heavy electric current is supplied to resistors C and C by circuit L from a source of alternating current T. One terminal of circuit L, is connected to cover Q by binding post i and the other to retort A by binding post i. The conducting supports 9 are connected to cover Q, as before described,'and, at a point 2' between resistors C and C, one support 9 is in contact with retort A, so that parallel circuits are established through resistors C and C, which are thus connected in multiple arc with the poles of the source of alternating current T, when the cover is in place.

G, is any convenient form of pressure gage showing vapor tension in the retort. H, represents conventionally a standard form of valve which can be set to allow vapor to pass out of the retort at and above a given pressure for which it is adjusted. I, is the blow-oflt' pipe controlled by such valve and leading to a condenser J (through which cold water may be run through connections J, J), and which pipe finally discharges into a gasometer or gas holder V. It is understood, of course, that with this particular arrangement of circuits the condenser, gasometer, retort and connections should rest on bases of insulating material I to prevent leakage of current. A thermometer or pyrometer h, may be installed in the cover for determining'interior temperatures, and as a check on the accuracy of the pressure is so far described the apparatus is sufiicient for carry ng on intermittent operations. To render the operation continuous the oil may be pumped in through pipe W, controlled by valve 10, and the elcctrolite through pipe X, controlled by valve m. Accumulated grease and solid residues and non-volatile residua may be driven out from the retort through siphon pipe Y, controlled by valve y, and extending nearly to the lowt int in he retort. The level or levels of aid cont nts. can be seen in gage lass Z, and the supply regulated according y.

The new and improved process according to which the above described ap aratus operates (and which could be carrie on by other arrangements of the parts described) is the following:

The principal raw material is heavy hy drocarbon oil as produced in the oil fields, or kerosene or other modified form of the natural oils, represented at P.

The purpose is to crack or break up the particles of this heavy oil and, by separating those with the lighter hydrogen constituents, or by combining with the vaporized or dissociated particles additional portions of hydrogen to produce a vapor or vapors of lighter hydrocarbons, which vapor or vapors can be condensed into gasolene or naphtha or similar fluid product capable of use in standard internal combustion engines.

The general theory of operation is to accomplish this purpose by bringing the vapor of the heavy oil used as raw material into contact, under considerable pressure, with nascent hydrogen given off at the negative electrode D, and into contact with the highly heated carbon resistors C and C. The action of the heated carbon of the resistors, as well as of the external heating apparatus, cracks the oil vapor molecules or particles into constituent parts, and so lib crates the lighter hydrocarbon constituents. The nascent hydrogen, which is the main product evolved by the electrolysis of the water, combines with the heavier constituents thus released from the oil by the cracking process and this combination forms additional light hydrocarbon products which combine with and enrich those evolved by the ordinary cracking a d i t lling action of the heat. Incidentally, the oxygen also liberated by electrolysis of the water and emitted from the positive electrode combines with the heavier constituents released by crackin the oil and this combination in its turn erms greases useful for lubrication and other )urposes in the arts. These, to ether with t e uncvaporated heavy oils, i any, are driven out by internal pressure through pipe Y, when valve y is opened.

Whether or not the above theory is correct in all details the practical result of my invention when operated on kerosene is the evolution of lar e bodies of light hydrocarbon vapors W ich, when passed through the condenser J, form a hydrocarbon liquid of the average density of about 62 Daum.

The purpose of combining the water with the oil in the form of an emulsion (which results as soon as agitation by ebullition takes place) is to produce an intimate mix ture of the two, particle with particle, so that the hydrogen evolved from each aqueous article of the emulsion or mixture may free y and promptly unite with the adjacent oily particles of the emulsion, while in the full vigor of its nascent condition. This lit) naaaete ell action is obviously more eflicient than that of a solid stream of hydrogen on a separate integral body of liquid or vaporized pure oil would be, although the latter would be within the broader phases of my invention, it the hydrogen were produced according to the general method here described.

The details of operation would vary with different raw materials and with different conditions existing and results sought. ll will give one example as illustrating the general principles involved.

ll fill the lower portion of the retort A with an aqueous solution of sodium carbonate in the proportion of one pound of the carbonate for every four gallons of water, the total quantity of this solution (l, boing'suflicient to submerge electrodes l), D. I then introduce enough kerosene or fuel oil l, to submerge resistors U, the levels of the respective bodies of ii uid O and P being indicated by lines U, TI. ll then pass an alternating current of about 500 amperes and 5 volts through resistors "C and t." and set valve H to blow oil at 100 pounds pressure to the square inch. lit the cost otcurrent is too high, the above given quantity oi current may be cut down and vaporization of the oil partly or wholly effected by heat from gas burner hi, hi. At the same time ll pass a current through electrolyte ll, of from 1 volt and 100 amperes, to ll) volts and 10 amperes, according to the condition of the emulsion. At the beginning the pure aqueous solution of sodium carbonate would 4 be a good conductor and a low voltage would suiflce so that the larger amperage could be employed. As the oil and alkali and water begin to boil and mix to form an emulsion the internal resistance of the fluid will increase and the voltage must be raised and this would usually be concomitant with a reduction of the amperage. The cross section of the resistors C and C would be so designed that before or by the time the va pors and gases generated by the combined heating actions rose to 100 pounds pressure, the resistors C and C would be red hot or nearly so and their cracking action upon the oil and vapor would be most effective. The direct current through the alkaline solution, or emulsion U, would evolve considerable volumes of tree nascent hydrogen which would be forced into intimate contact with the so dissociated hydrocarbon constituents by the vapor pressure and would tend to form new hydrocarbon vapors of diflerent densities at different levels in the upper half of the retort, and when the automatic valve H opened, these vapors would ultimately flow out separately or in a general mixture through valve H, into condenser J, reaching I gasometer V, in the shape of gasolene, naphtha or the like liquids. The operator would watch gage glass Z and maintain the proper proportions of oil and electrolyte by adjusting valves to and m. At intervals valve 3 in the blow off pipe Y would be opened and the internal vapor pressure would drive out the greases and other heavy residues from the bottom of the retort. After the apparatus reaches the normal temperature of operation the water will boil rapidly on introduction -to the retort and pass through the emulsion stage with the oil and some of it '75 tion set in the retort walls, will continuously withstand the heat and action of the hot vapors.

The advantages of my invention reside mainly in the fact that each hydrogen particleis evolved in immediate contact with the dissociated hydrocarbon particles with which it is to become associated in the new combination, and under conditions of heat and pressure favoring such combination, secondarily in that the cracking of the hydrocarbon is tacilitated by contact with the hot carbon resistors, and thirdly, in that danger of combustion and explosion is eliminated.

Having described my invention, ll claim:

1. lln an apparatus for increasing the amount of light hydrocarbon fluids obtainable trom agiven quantity of native hydro- The- .] Oll its carbon oil or residuum the combination,

with a closed retort for holding the ma "terials, of electrical heating means located in said retort interior comprising a plurality of resistors, one of which is located in the retort space for fluids, and another in the retort space for vapors, and an electric circuit including said resistors.

2. lln an apparatus for increasing the amount of light hydrocarbon fluids obtainable trom a given quantity of native hydrocarbon oil or residuum the combination, with a closed retort for holding the materials having a space for containing an electrolyte and another space for containing oil, of means for. passing an electric current through any electrolyte in said first mentioned space and means for heating all the retort contents.

3. In an apparatus for increasing the amount of light hydrocarbon fluids obtainable from a given quantity of native hydrocarbon oil or residuum the combination, with llltl llllh a closed retort for holding the materials, of electrodes located at opposite points in the lower portion of the retort interior, a source of direct electric current and conductors connecting it with said electrodes, and means for'heating the retort and contents.

4. A combination such as set out in claim 3, in which the heating means comprises a conductor of high resistance located in the retort above the level of the above mentioned electrodes and means for passing an electric current through said high resistance conductor.

5. In an apparatus for cracking fluid hydrocarbons the combination, with a closed retort having a zone for fluids and a zone for vapors, of a carbon resistor located in the fluid zone, another carbon resistor located in the vapor zone, and means for passing electric currents through both resistors.

6. In an apparatus for producing a supernormal yield of light hydrocarbon fluid from a given quantity of heavier oil the combination, with a closed retort having -a lower zone for an electrolyte, an intermediate zone for the oil, and an upper zone for vapor, of means for passing an electric current through the electrolyte in the lower zone, carbon resistors in the oil and vapor zones, and means for passing electric currents through both said resistors.

7. In an apparatus for producing a supernormal quantity of light hydrocarbons from a given quantity of heavier oil the combination of means for producing an emulsion of the oil and a suitable electrolyte and means for passing an electric current through said emulsion, whereby the hydrogen so evolved by electrolysis of the conducting portions of the emulsion may immediately combine with the heavier constituents of the oil in said emulsion to synthetically form the desired lighter hydrocarbons.

8. A combination such as set out in claim 7 in which the means for forming the emulsion comprises heating apparatus capable of producing violent ebullition of both the oil and electrolyte contained in the retort.

9. In an apparatus for cracking fluid hydrocarbons the combination, with a retort of electrically conductive material ha ring a removable cover also of conductive material, of a non-conducting gasket between retort and cover, a resistor supported solely from the cover, electrically connected thereto at one end and so located that its other end is in contact with the retort wall when the cover is fastened on, means for fastening the cover to the retort, and an electric supply circuit, o'ne terminal of which is connected to the retort and the other to the cover.

JOHN A. YUNCK. 

